Adil Najam
![]("http://www.india-forums.com/images/show/the_great_indian_laughter.jpg")
As ATP had noted in a blogpost on 21 June, 2006, Indians are laughing at Pakistanis. In fact, they are laughing so hard that the ‘world largest democracy’ just voted a 40-year old Pakistani stand-up comic as the ‘Funniest Man in India.’
According to a news report at rediff.com:
![]("http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h241/adilnajam/23rauf.jpg")
Pakistan’s Rauf Lala has been voted by an Indian audience as the winner of Star One’s popular comedy show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge: Dwitiya. In a neck-to-neck contest, Lala beat Mumbai’s Rajeev Nigam to become Numero Uno on the show that has been making audiences roll with laughter for 18 weeks…. Among other goodies, Rauf also bags a brand new Chevrolet Aveo as part of the winning deal. Asked to comment on his victory, Lala — who hails from Karachi and has been doing stage shows for more than two decades now – says, "When my name was announced, I thought I was dreaming. I still find it difficult to believe. I am sure everyone back home in Pakistan is proud and happy…." Mumbai’s Rajeev Nigam was the 1st runner-up [and] had to say about him: "We are extremely happy that Bade Bhaiyya (Lala) won the contest. We never had any doubts about his capabilities and knew he was the best and the most eligible. To be honest, I would have felt bad if it were anyone else."
It seems that the Mughal-e-Azam premier idea has now gone sour (also see here), but at least there is something about India-Pakistan people-to-people diplomacy worth smiling–even laughing–about.
TransoM.
PR Week (US) January 20, 2010 Victorinox Swiss Army North America consolidated its PR, advertising, and marketing functions, appointing Mullen its integrated marketing communications AOR, effective December 1. The agency was tapped following a competitive review.
LaForce & Stevens previously handled PR, while Absolute Media was responsible for planning and buying, the company said. Numerous external consultants had also assisted Victorinox Swiss Army with various marketing and advertising projects in the past. site victorinox swiss army
‘From an integration standpoint, it was very difficult,’ explained Renee Hourigan, director of advertising and PR for the company.
Chegg.com, an online textbook rental company that recently raised an additional dollars 57 million in venture capital, has hired Weber Shandwick in a contract worth about mid-six-figures annually.
The startup enlisted the agency for assistance with its two-pronged strategy of building its brand awareness and its business credibility, said VP of PR Tina Couch. An RFP wasn’t sent out; rather Couch selected WS because she previously worked with the firm while at Match.com.
BNC and PMK/HBH, two entertainment PR agencies under the Interpublic Group umbrella, merged. The new firm, PMK BNC, was expected to launch January 1, led by BNC chairman and CEO Michael Nyman, PMK/HBH co-CEO Cindi Berger, and BNC president and COO Chris Robichaud, with Nyman and Berger as chairman and CEOs, and Robichaud as CEO. The agency will be run out of New York and Los Angeles.
Reports that PMK/HBH founders Robin Baum and Stephen Huvane, as well as president Nate Schreiber, left the company were confirmed. this web site victorinox swiss army
Several PR agencies have recently released new social media tools.
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide’s 360 Digital Influence group launched Insider Circle, a Web-based tool that allows clients to build an ‘inner circle’ of influencers to provide original content on an invitation basis. It aims to further relationships with brand influencers, such as bloggers.
Separately, Edelman introduced a free Twitter monitoring tool called TweetLevel. The product calculates an individual’s importance based on popularity, but also on engagement and trust.
In addition, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide released an updated, paid version of its Twendz Pro, a Twitter analytics service that measures brand impact and audience engagement.
——————– Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the magazine? Please call 08451 55 73 55 for more information or visit www.haysubs.com
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Digg
YouTube
I did read this last week when Rauf Lala came in the finals…Its amazing that he actually won…I would like to get my hands on the entire series…
Rauf lala has a background in Stage Comedy with Omar Shreef stage dramas like “Bakra Qistoun per” etc.
I am an Indian and now I am a part of ‘the human face of India and Pakistan’. I saw each one of the Pakistanis competing for the title, from start to finish. There is so much of similarity between our cultures and this can be proved by the way we Indians laughed together with Pakistanis. My parents came from Pakistan after partition and I hated the politics that divided us. Needless to say, I hated Pakistan. But over the last three-four years, things have changed for better. This wouldn’t have been possible without the role that Media played.
I just hope our politicians are observing these changes and realise that we are one beyond the boundaries!
If such things can help us learn coexistance that would be great. There are lots of similarities and we should build on them-this we can do with laughter. But there are lots of differences also and we have to learn to live with them-this we can do with cricket. The point is not to confuse being similar to being the same.
Seen his perform a little but i have seen few others and they have done a great job.
The style has shifted from pure comedy to some stupid ways of trying to impress audience but by and large its okay.
I am searching for some vids on PAKIs in these programs.